Jade Michel poses with her chocolate Havana rabbit, Glory, at the Indiana State 4-H Rabbit Show. Glory was named the Best in Show at the state competition. Jade also received the Grand Champion Meat Pen and Champion Roaster awards for her rabbits. Photo provided

By Emma Rausch

A North Manchester youth hopes to take another trophy this month at the American Rabbit Breeders Association National Convention after earning supreme honors at the 2016 Indiana State Fair in August.

Jade Michel, a seventh grader at Manchester Junior-Senior High School, received Best In Show, Grand Champion Meat Pen and Champion Roaster awards at the state fair for her locally-raised rabbits.

The 4-Her told The Paper of Wabash County it was a great win, both for her and the county.

The Wabash City Schools Board approved the establishment of a Project Lead the Way launch program Monday night, Oct. 3.

The program will allow students to learn more science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses without waiting until their junior year of high school, O.J. Neighbours Principal Danielle Miller informed the board.

The establishment of the program serves a two-fold purpose, according to Jason Callahan, WCS superintendent.

Each year, the event draws thousands to downtown Wabash and, with a friendly competition to determine who’s chili is the best, it raises funds to donate back to the community.

Since 2002, the annual event has raised and donated more than $430,000 to local charities and organizations that assist Wabash County and area residents in various ways.

This year, 10 organizations, including the Family Services Society Hands of Hope, the LaFontaine Lions Club, the Honeywell Foundation Educational Outreach Program and the Wabash County Cancer Society, will benefit from the donations.

Kathy Prater and Anne Budzinski hammer nails into a wall frame on Oct. 1 as part of Habitat for Humanity's Women Build program. Photo by Eric Christiansen

By Emma Rausch

Seven women picked up hammers and nails Saturday, Oct. 1, for Wabash County Habitat for Humanity during the local chapter’s first Women Build.

The women, whose ages ranged from 18 to 85, helped construct interior walls at the organization’s North Manchester build project, located at 516 W. 4th St.

“So far, what we’ve got from the community is, ‘When is the next one?’” Dottie Cole, local Habitat secretary, said. “I am assuming that the women from Wabash County are excited about participating in another one.”

Manchester High School teacher Jabin Burnworth celebrates being a torchbearer for the Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay. Photo by Joseph Slacian

By Joseph Slacian

Mother Nature tried, but she couldn’t dampen the spirit of Wabash County residents on Wednesday, Sept. 28, as they gathered along the county’s roadsides to celebrate Indiana’s 200th birthday.

The Indiana Bicentennial Torch made its way through the county Wednesday afternoon, traveling from LaFontaine to Wabash to North Manchester before ending in Paradise Spring for a brief ceremony featuring state and local officials.

Mayor Scott Long received the torch in LaFontaine and, with police escort, rode with it on the Wabash County Trolley No.85. Long left the Trolley in front of the Wabash County Convention and Visitors Bureau office on Main Street. From there, he walked and ran it up Miami Street to Hill Street where he passed it off to Natalie Unger, the second of 16 torchbearers.

The MSD of Wabash County School Board will be formally inviting Wabash City Schools and Manchester Community Schools boards of education to a tri-partite executive session to discuss topics including declining enrollment, feasibility studies and consolidation.

The MSD Board unanimously approved the recommendation to invite the other two county school districts at its meeting Tuesday night, Sept. 27.

The Board originally considered a recommendation to invite Wabash City’s Board to the discussion until MSD Board Vice President John Gouveia advised that the board should expand the invitation.